In today's issue of "Designer Diary Man," our topic is multiplayer game balancing. Which, in the case of Freedom Force, is actually at least two topics. Freedom Force multiplayer is structurally similar to Magic: The Gathering, in that there is both a strategic and a tactical game involved. The strategy is in how you build custom characters and teams ("deck-building," if you will) before the game, whereas the tactics happen during the game proper.

We started the design of Guild Wars thinking about the whole game playing experience and considering how to improve it - from the install process, to the actual gameplay, to updating the game with new content. Our foremost goal is to let you focus on having fun playing the game. You don't buy a pool because you enjoy vacuuming the pool, you buy a pool to swim and enjoy the sun. Our streaming technology is not the basis of a gameplay mechanic, but it allows us to provide a more positive gaming experience as a whole.

Kohan II: Kings of War Developer Diary #1 at GameSpyTimeGate Studios' Steve Hemmesch took on the role of writer for a journal bearing yesterday's date. He discusses maintaining the feel of the property while moving to 3D and making the sequel accessible to a broader audience, starting with these words:

As lead designer, I am pretty much responsible for coming up with the style, story, and execution of Kohan II. It's phenomenal to see the game crystallizing, especially in the public beta tests we have going on right now. It's extremely rewarding to watch the concepts you've been developing and the principles you've maintained come to life, and really deliver a coherent, deep, and quite honestly, a really FUN game. I'd like to talk a little bit about how we focused on pushing the deep and intense gameplay that set Kohan apart, while streamlining some of the more "hardcore" edges which made the title tough for more casual gamers to pick up.